Improved ponton-boat



E., HARRISON. PUNTON BOAT.

PATENTED NOV. 3,

MJU/1 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ENOCH HARRISON, OF NEW YORK, N.v Y., ASSIGNOR TO HIMSELF AND EDWARD W.SERRELL, 0F SAME PLACE.

IM PROVED PONTON-BOAT.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 40,539, dated November3, 1863 'antedated October 29, 1863.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, ENooH HARRISON, of the city and State of New York,have invented, made, and applied to use a certain new and usefulImprovement in Scows and Ponton- Boats; and I do hereby declare thefollowing to be a full, clear, and exact description of my saidinvention, reference being had to the annexed drawings, making part ofthis speciication, wherein- Figure lis a plan of said boat. Fig. 2 is alongitudinal section of the same, and Fig. 3 isa cross-section.

Similar marks of refer ence denote the same parts.

Pontons have heretofore been made to put together in sections, butdiculty has heretofore existed in making such boats sufficiently lightfor transportation.

` The nature of my said invention consists in a peculiar construction offlat-bottomed boat or scow adapted to the embarkation or debarkation oftroops, supplies, ordnance, &c., or

for forming the floats of a ponton-bridge, I make use of removable sideand end pieces and a bottom composed of separate plank clamped together,so that my boat can be taken apart and moved in sections or in detail,and can be put together' very quickly and made water-tight.

tom, with bolts 2 2 passing through holes in the sills a a.

The straps h h in putting the boat together are to be laid down atsuitable distances apart; then the floor-plank are laid together, havingpreviously been planed up true; then the ends of the boat are put inplace, the floorplank resting in the rabbets l l; then one of the sidesis put on and the bolt 2 passed through its holes in the sill a, andthen the thwarts g g are put in place and the other side attached by thebolts 2 2, and by screwing up the said bolts tightly' the bottom will bethoroughly compressed and held together. A strip of india-rubber may beintroduced between d and the end pieces of the boat. 'i i are boltsapplied to draw the upper parts of the sides together at the ends andbind them against such end pieces, and It are knees introduced tostrengthen the corners, and l is a cross-timber to sustain the sides ofthe boat near the middle.

It will be evident that this boat can be taken apart or put togetherwith great facility, and that it can be easily transported or when notin use can be packed away in safety instead of being left, as now usual,either in the water or exposed under circumstances that speedily effectits destruction.

What I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

rlhe mode of retaining the floor-plaLks beneath the thwarts g g `by themetallic` straps h h and bolts 2 2, in combination with the removableside and end pieces of the boat, as set forth.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my signature this lst day ofApril, 1863.

Witnesses: ENOGH HARRISON.

THos. GEO. HAROLD, LEMUEL W. SEERELL.

